Wheel-rim.



R. M. KEATING.

WHEEL RIM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-27,1914.

- l wyg ma I Patented D66.12,1916.

WITNESSES.-

A TTORNE V413 WHEEL-RIM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1914. ficrial No. 821,527.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT M. KEATING, a citizen of the United. States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented. a new and useful Wheel-Rim, of which the following; is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pneumatic-tire rims, which are more especially designed for wire wheels, and consists of a flanged band provided with one or more interior reinforcing ribs, with which may be used a flanged ring adapted to be fastened to said band, and provided with a receiving shoulder for one of the band ribs, all as hereinafter set forth.

The object of my invention is to produce a rim that is light both in weight and stock, while at the same time it is stronq'and durable, and suliiciently stiff and rigid to render the same especially well adapted for use in the manufacture of so-callcd wire wheels.

A. further object is to provide such a rim with convenient and cilicient means for at-- tachin to or mounting thereon a tire, and for detaching from or dismounting such. tire.

In this construction ample provision is made for resistance to all strain to which a wheel and its rim are liable under ordinary conditions of use, so that there is practically no liability of peripheral fracture, or of yielding under lateral stress, or of having its detachable member broken or wrenched out of place.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.

I attain the objects and secure the advan tages of my invention by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevationof one-half of a wheel rim which embodies a practical form of my invention, such elevation. being an inside edge view, or view of the edge of the rim that comes next to the vehicle body; Fig. 2, a cross-section through. suchrini, taken on lines 22, looking inthe direction of the associated arrow,.in Fig. l; l ig. 3, av fragmentary cross-section, on lines 3f-s, looking in the direction of the associated arrow, Fig. 1; Fig. a cross-section showing a rim construction in which no ring is necessary; i i z 5,- a sectional detail illustrat ng modified lasgening means,

and, Fig. 6, a similar view of still another modification.

Similar numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

This rim usually comprises a band 1 and a.

ring 4, the latter being,- attached to the former by means of a series of boltso. The band 1, at what may be terniedthe inner edge, because it is the edge that is next to the body of the vehicle, when a wheel ofwhich said band forms a part is in place, is

Patented beers, rare.

band proper with an annular strengthening and stiii'ening rib 7, and said band is further provided on the inside, at or adjacent to the edge thereof which is opposite to the edge from which said flange extends, or the outer edge, with a second strengthening and stiifcning. rib 8. In the present construction, the outer edge of the band 1 is bent inwardl y to form the. rib 8. The outer ends of the wheel spokes are attached to the band 1, but since such spokes and the attaching means therefor form nopart of this invention the same are not herein shown.

The ring-i has a tire flange S) to correspond with the flange (i on the band i and cooperate with the latter flange in holding a tire in' place on said band. An annular shoulder 10 is provided on the inner face of the ring 4- to it into the space within the inner edge of the rib 8, and to receive said rib and enable said ring to bear against the outer edge of the band 1 and the outside of said rib. Thus the ring l: is carried orsupported on the rib 3, wl 'cby the bolts 5 are protected from. much i. not all shearing or lateral strain and their only oilicc is to re tain said ring iii-place against the band]. and such rib, and assist in counteracting any ilulcpendcut rotary tendency that the ring might have imparted, to it. The ring 4, by being mouuted in this manner on and in the band 8, also adds to the strength, stiffness and stability of the band and of the rim as a whole. Each bolt 5 passes from the outsidc through an opening in the ring a and an opening in a lug: 11 in the band 1, which lug opening is tapped to receive such bolt. The lugs 11 are on the inside of the rib 8, and are usually located in the angle which said rib forms with the band 1, so that said rib forms the outer ends of such lugs and ring is forced tightly against said band and the rib 8, by the heads of said bolts. A tire thus mounted is held securely on the band 1 by the flanges 6 and 9. The removal of a tire is effected by unscrewing the bolts 5, taking away the ring 4, and withdrawing the tire from the band 1.

A single-piece rim is shown in Fig. 4. This rim consists of a band 12 having tire flanges 6 6,.and interior reinforcing ribs 13 13, the latter in this case being produced by bending the metal out of which the rim is constructed. The ribs 13 might be substituted for the ribs 7 and 8, and vice versa. The Fig. 4 rim is old except for the addition of the reinforcing ribs, but this addition is a new feature in rim construction, which makes it possible and practicable to use in a wire wheel a rim of the otherwise old type.

The lugs 11 for the bolts 5 may be omitted and such bolts may be tapped into the flange S, or one of the modifications shown in the last two views can be resorted to. The, first of these modifications (Fig. 5) shows a bolt 11 inserted in the rib 8, from the inside, and passed through said rib and the ring 4, to receive a nut 15 on its outer end, a part of the head of said bolt being cut off to provide bearing parts which engage the band 1, as represented at 16, to prevent said bolt from turning. In the second modification in question (Fig. 6), a headed sleeve 17 is inserted in the rib 8 and ring 4, from the inside of said rib. The sleeve 17 is tapped to receive a bolt 18 from the outside of the ring 4:, the head of said sleeve being fitted to the band 1, like the head of the bolt 14;, to prevent said sleeve from turning. I

Such changes in the shape, size, arrangement, and construction of the rim, as may be required tomeet difi'erent conditions, and in addition to those specifically pointed out and illustrated, may be made, without departing from the spirt of my invention, pro vided the scope of my claim be not exceeded.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, in a wheel rim, with a band having a tire-engaging part, and provided with internal annular ribs, one of such ribs being located adjacent to the outer edge of said band, and said band being further provided with bolt-receiving lugs located inside of the outer rib, of a ring having a tire-en aging' part, and provided with an annular s ioulder to receive and it within said outer rib, and bolts adapted to pass through said ring into said lugs, to secure said ring to said band.

ROBERT M. KEATING.

Witnesses A. C. FAIRBANKS, F. A. CUTTER. 

